The subject invention relates generally to an improved conveyor for handling materials and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a conveyor having liner material for greatly increasing the wear life of the conveyor.
Heretofore, there have been various types of material handling conveyors and transfer systems having chain, cable and belt drives. These systems, when required, have used metal liners or other types of material to reduce wear on the bottom of the conveyor housing.
With the advent of new synthetic wear-resistant materials marketed in sheet form, it has been found advantageous to use these materials as liners for material-handling conveyors. This sheet material is commonly referred to as ultra-high molecular weight polymers and called UHMW polyethylene lining material. The UHMW lining material offers approximately seven times increased wear life when compared to standard sheet steel material used in conveyor housing construction. But, an inherent problem with the UHMW liner material is that it expands and contracts with changes in the ambient temperature approximately ten times more than the standard sheet steel material. This problem of expansion and contraction of conveyor liner material is solved by the subject invention.